Our Campers Wrote a Ghost Story Play — and It's a Scream
Meet the Cast
On the last night of our Appalachian Ghost Stories camp, the campers at Carcassonne Community Center did something most adults wouldn't attempt: they wrote and performed an entire play, from scratch, in one week. It's called Camp Nowhere, and it's equal parts campfire s'mores and straight-up spooky.
The play is a story within a story. A camper forgets her tie-dye camp shirt, the counselor demands "counselor tax" in s'mores, and someone suggests telling ghost stories on a Friday the 13th full moon. What follows is three classic Appalachian tales — The Green Ribbon, Wait 'Til Martin Comes, and The Hitchhiker — told around a campfire, with a delightfully deadpan counselor (think Wednesday Addams) cracking wise between tales and a ghost story that ends with a twist.
The best part: the campers did everything. They wrote the script, voiced every character, ran the sound effects, and moved the curtains. The only adult on stage was the camp director, played by instructor Meg Caudill.
Meet the Cast
- Camp Counselor Aurora — Keira
- Camp Director Petunia — Meg
- Campers: Lucy (Ivy), Kate (Wynnie), Billy (Joe), Jim-Bob (Earl), Jimmy (Jesse), Emily (Lily), Victoria (Peyton)
Story voices: Jenny (Ivy), Alfred (Earl), the Doctor (Peyton), the Traveler (Joe), the Hitchhiker (Jesse), the Mechanic (Joe), Mrs. Whitney (Wynnie), and the Girl (Ivy). Cats 1, 2 & 3 voiced by Arielle, Keira, and Meg. Sound effects by Arielle.
The Three Stories
The Green Ribbon. A girl wears a green ribbon around her neck her whole life and swears she'll explain when the time is right. Years pass, she falls in love, grows old, and on her deathbed, she finally tells her husband to untie it. The ending is the reason this story has been told for generations.
Wait 'Til Martin Comes. A traveler takes shelter in a deserted house during a storm and falls asleep by the fire. A black cat appears, then a second "as large as a wolf," then a third "as massive as a tiger." Each asks the same question: Shall we do it now? The answer: No, let us wait until Martin comes.
The Hitchhiker. Ronald drives from Brooklyn to California for a new job and keeps seeing the same man on the road — always asking for a ride, never getting one. By the time he calls home, the truth is the last thing he expects.
And after the campers yell "boo" at the end? Aurora has one more story — about a girl named Emily. If that name rings a bell, you'll see why.
Read the Full Script
The campers' complete script — all seven scenes, stage directions and sound cues included — is linked here. It's a fantastic read for anyone who loves campfire tales, and a testament to what these kids built in a single week.
Come Write Your Own Story
Registration is open for our summer performance camps at the Carcassonne Community Center. Students spend the week creating their own Appalachian stories based on regional folktales, legends, and ghost stories — then perform them on the community center stage for family and friends each Friday.
- Appalachian Folklore & Legends Camp — July 13–17, ages 9–13
- Appalachian Ghost Stories Camp — July 20–24, ages 12–18
Camp Schedule (9:00am–4:00pm daily)
- 9:00–9:30am — Student Drop Off
- 9:30–10:30am — Drama games
- 10:30–10:45am — Snack break
- 10:40am–noon — Story building
- Noon–1:00pm — Lunch and recess time
- 1:00–3:30pm — Rehearsal, games, team building
- 3:30–4:00pm — Student Pickup
A $10 deposit per camp holds your spot, payable by card/PayPal/Venmo or cash at drop-off. Fill out the registration form here. Snacks and lunch options are provided, though students are welcome to bring their own. Please note any access, behavior, or medical needs on the form so we can meet your child's needs.
Spotlight: Meet Instructor Meg Caudill
Meg Caudill holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and the M.A. in Communications and Theatre from Morehead State University. She has taught students across Kentucky and Indiana, plus a semester abroad in Sunderland, England. Originally from Appalachia, she taught 4th grade at Letcher Elementary before moving to Louisville, where she worked as a Teaching Artist and tour actor for Kentucky Shakespeare. In 2012, Meg joined Commonwealth Theatre Center (then Walden Theatre) as a tour artist and outreach instructor, teaching nearly every class level in the Walden Conservatory and directing numerous Summer Academy and Junior Academy productions.
Her Young Company directing credits include The Trials of Robin Hood, The Secret Garden, Baba Yaga, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. MainStage credits include The Trojan Women (2018 live soundscape design), Macbeth (2019 live soundscape design), The Merry Wives of Windsor (assistant director and choreographer), The Selkie Wife (assistant director), Dear Brutus (director), Frankenstein (co-director), Cymbeline (director), Radium Girls (director), and Much Ado About Nothing (director).
One of Meg's favorite parts of working with schools is getting to perform for kids. She appeared in touring productions of The Ugly Duckling, Rumplestiltskin, and as Meetra the Muskrat Knight in the 2023 tour of Dragon Up! Locally, she has performed with several theatre companies and worked special events at the Louisville Zoo, and participated in an off-Broadway 10-minute play festival in New York City last August. She is a proud alumna of the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program (GSP) and a company member of Looking for Lilith Theatre Company.